Dex stepped out of the inn, the oppressive heat of the demon realm now laced with an unnatural chill. The sky, once a seething crimson, had deepened into a bruised purple-black, the air thick with the scent of sulfur and charred bone.
No turning back now.
He swiped open his system window, the holographic display flickering as it mapped the shortest route to his destination. A pulsing red marker burned in the distance—the Ashen Wastes, a no-respawn zone where death meant a forced logout and a 12-hour ban.
[DESTINATION LOCKED: HEART OF THE INFERNO]
[ESTIMATED TRAVEL TIME: 47 MINUTES]
[WARNING: HOSTILE TERRITORY DETECTED]
A notification blinked—Spectre.
[SPECTRE (NEO-TOKYO): "Where the hell are you ? still in Emberfall?"]
Dex typed back, fingers quick and tense:
[DEX: "Yes. Wrapping up something for a guy called Ignis. Hold tight—I'll be back soon."]
He didn't wait for a reply.
The Bone Gates
The streets of Emberfall grew quieter as he neared the city's edge, the only light coming from hellfire braziers mounted on jagged obsidian pillars. Shadows twisted unnaturally here, clinging to the architecture like living things. His Shadowweave Cloak muffled his footsteps, its enchantment dulling his presence.
Ahead loomed the Bone Gates—two towering arches of fused skeletal remains, their hollow sockets glowing with emberlight. Beyond them, the Ashen Wastes stretched into darkness, a desert of black glass and jagged spires under a starless sky.
Dex activated Omnisight, scanning the wastes in pulses of blue static.
[SCANNING…]
[HOSTILES DETECTED: 9]
[THREAT ASSESSMENT: HELLFIRE GHOULS (LV. 25-28), ASH PHANTOMS (LV. ???)]
A notification seared across his vision:
[SERVER ALERT: NO-RESPAWN ZONE ACTIVE. DEATH = TEMPORARY BAN (12 HRS)]
Dex exhaled, then stepped forward—
—and the Origin Mask in his inventory vibrated.
A whisper slithered into his ear:
"You'll need me… out there…"
Dex ignored it.
For now.
The black sand crunched like shattered glass underfoot. The air was dead here—no wind, no sound, just the oppressive weight of unnatural silence.
Then his Omnisight flared.
[WARNING: HIGH-LEVEL HOSTILE APPROACHING]
A shape moved in the darkness.
Slow. Deliberate.
[ASH PHANTOM – ???]
[HP: ????/???]
[ABILITIES: ????]
The creature's form flickered between solid and smoke, its hollow eyes locking onto Dex.
Shit.
Dex's fingers twitched toward his Data Dagger, its edge humming with unstable energy.
The Phantom lunged.
Dex's fingers flew to his status screen. The numbers flickered into view:
[LEVEL: 23]
[HP: 215/215] (Base: 100 + (22 levels × 5))
Not bad. But not enough.
The Ash Phantom lunged, its form dissolving into smoke before reforming mid-strike. Dex barely twisted away, the creature's shadowy claws raking the air where his throat had been. His Data Dagger flared to life in his grip, its unstable blade crackling with jagged blue energy.
He feinted left—then dashed right, his movement speed visibly enhanced by his level gains. The Phantom's hollow eyes tracked him, but for a split second, it hesitated.
Now.
Dex struck.
The Data Dagger carved into the Phantom's smoky torso, its edge disrupting the creature's code in bursts of static. The monster shrieked—a sound like grinding glass—as its health bar appeared in Dex's vision:
[ASH PHANTOM – LV ??]
[HP: ???/???]
Damn. Too high-level.
The Phantom retaliated. A whip-like tendril of darkness lashed out, too fast to dodge completely. It grazed Dex's shoulder, and his vision flashed red as pain seared through his nerves—Dreamscape's realism at its worst.
[HP: 187/215]
The Mask in his inventory pulsed eagerly.
"Let me in… I'll make it painless…"
Dex gritted his teeth and rolled backward, putting distance between himself and the Phantom. His Omnisight flickered, trying to scan for weaknesses, but the creature's level drowned out the details.
[ANALYSIS FAILED: TARGET TOO ADVANCED]
The Phantom lunged again.
This time, Dex was ready.
He sidestepped, letting the creature's momentum carry it past him—then stabbed downward, driving the Data Dagger into the Phantom's back. The blade sparked violently as it pierced the monster's core, and for a moment, the Phantom stuttered, its form glitching in and out of existence.
A notification flashed:
[CRITICAL HIT!]
[DATA CORRUPTION APPLIED: ENEMY MOVEMENT SLOWED 30%]
The Phantom howled, its movements now sluggish. Dex didn't waste the opening. He struck again—and again—each hit chipping away at the creature's stability.
Finally, with one last screech, the Phantom dissolved, its body unraveling into strands of black mist that faded into the Wastes' dead air.
Dex exhaled, shaking out his aching wrist. The fight had taken less than a minute, but his nerves were alight with adrenaline.
[COMBAT ENDED]
[EXP GAINED: 1,200]
No loot. No fanfare. Just the endless black sands ahead.
The Origin Mask hummed, almost… approvingly.
Dex ignored it and pressed forward.
The black sands shifted under Dex's boots as he trudged forward, the obsidian spires around him casting jagged shadows under the dim, hellish glow of the sky. In the distance, a yawning cave mouth loomed—its entrance framed by what looked like the petrified ribs of some long-dead beast.
As he drew closer, the Origin Mask's voice slithered through his mind, clearer now, almost as if it stood right beside him.
"You're hesitating," it murmured, its tone dripping with amusement. "Afraid of what you'll find inside?"
Dex scowled. "The only useful skill you've given me so far requires me to screw someone for it," he muttered. "And the other two? Locked. You're useless right now."
The Mask chuckled, the sound like static in his skull. "Patience, little thief. You've only just begun."
Ignoring it, Dex swiped open his system window, navigating to a new section he hadn't noticed before.
[CYBER LORD ARTIFACTS]
A list appeared, numbered one through five:
EYELESS MASK (ORIGIN MASK) – Equipped
[ARTIFACT NOT FOUND] – Locked
[ARTIFACT NOT FOUND] – Locked
[ARTIFACT NOT FOUND] – Locked
[ARTIFACT NOT FOUND] – Locked
Dex exhaled sharply. Great. More mysteries.
He closed the window and stepped into the cave.
The air inside was thick, heavy with the scent of burnt metal and old blood. The walls pulsed faintly, veins of molten ore threading through the rock like a slow, dying heartbeat. His Omnisight flickered, struggling to penetrate the darkness ahead.
[WARNING: UNKNOWN ENERGY SIGNATURE DETECTED]
Then—a sound.
Footsteps.
Not his own.
Something deeper in the cave was moving.
The Mask's voice curled around his thoughts, almost eager.
"Ah. Now things get interesting."